Two unclaimed winning lottery tickets sold in Franklin County near expiration dates

Somewhere, maybe forgotten in the inside pocket of a rarely-worn suit coat or stuck between the pages of an old magazine, is a lot of money.

Two significant lottery prizes from tickets sold in Franklin County remain unclaimed, with one scheduled to expire next week and the other in September.

Lisa McDonald, a spokeswoman for the State Lottery Commission, said Foster’s Supermarket in Greenfield sold a second-tier winning ticket in the Lucky for Life game on Aug. 29, 2013, a one-time payout of $25,000. The winning numbers were 02-05-08-13-22 and Lucky Ball 20.

On Sept. 25, 2013, the Circle-K Irving gas station in Whately sold a winning ticket for what was originally the top-tier prize of $25,000 a year for life, with a guaranteed payout of over half a million, McDonald said. Those numbers were 03-07-12-23-28 and Lucky Ball 30.

Neither of those tickets has been redeemed, and they will expire on the anniversary of their purchase. If the prizes are not claimed, the money will remain with the State Lottery Commission.

“It’s unusual that these remain unclaimed. It means that somebody perhaps set the ticket aside, obviously didn’t check it, stuck it in a drawer, in a coat pocket, and we’re just hoping people make a concerted effort to look for it because you don’t want $25,000 or $25,000 for life to expire,” McDonald said.

Winning amounts are before taxes, which are paid at the rate of 25 percent federal and 5 percent state. Tickets must be redeemed in person at a lottery office before the close of business on the anniversary of the purchase.